Originally released digitally towards the end of 2015, Tim has now slightly remixed and extended (three new tracks) and made this album available on CD through the Expanding Consciousness label. As with his 2007 album ‘Vision On’, the core of the band was Monty Oxymoron (keyboards, vocals, Theremin and percussion), Fudge Smith (drums) and Keith Hastings (bass), while there were contributions from guests such as Gregg McKella (synthisizers and effects), Lee Abraham (sub-bass guitar), and Andrew Bradstreet (bodhran). Tim of course made his name with Burnessence in the Eighties, and had been around the progressive scene for some thirty-five years or more, but doesn’t release albums that often, so this was the first since 2007.
That is a real shame, as he has a very English approach to progressive and neo-progressive rock and hits many, many musical bases. He is a bit like a musical magpie, picking up the shiny things and hoarding them, and while they are all valuable they certainly don’t all sound the same. The first number, “These Are The Days” could have come from Fudge’s previous band Pendragon in the very early Nineties, while “And Set Your Spirit Free’ has so much energy that one can imagine it being played in the clubs in Ibiza. Some songs are full on and over the top, while others (such as “Hold Me”) are incredibly delicate and restrained. This is what makes this such an incredibly solid album, there is huge variety and depth in what he does.
Tim feels that it is his best work, and even his cynical bass player (his words, not mine), agrees with that. I believe that Tim and the band recorded far more tracks than they used on this album, so hopefully the next album will be here much quicker! For more details on his music, and far more, visit his site at https://timburness.wordpress.com
